In this book, Siken explores the messy side of humanity, the ugliness of being alive. On the contrary: they are people who look into the mirror one day and suddenly realise that they were the monster at the end of the book all along.

Siken’s speakers are not heroes that fight back against the world’s cruelty. And in this dark world, we have people vibrant, restless people, aching with desires they do not understand. The cold night air cuts into your skin, the sunlight pummels down through the window, angels whisper into your ear about suicide when you are at your lowest point… Danger is all around you, inescapable and indifferent. The world of Crush is not a kind one Siken presents a universe that is harsh, where neither nature nor the divine are on your side. I have read Crush two more times since then and I feel like I have a better grasp of it now, but it still leaves me staring out the window, at a complete loss for words. The words tugged on heartstrings I never even knew I had and left me staring out the window, trying to find the right words for the rush of emotions washing over me. If you don’t, you don’t.Įven though Richard Siken is a fairly accessible poet, I had no idea what the poems in Crush were about the first time I read it, little over a year ago. You’re not stupid or illiterate, it’s just… Poetry. Sometimes the poets doesn’t want you to get it. Sometimes you need to read a poem a few times before you fully understand it, or you can spend the rest of your life reading a work and still not grasp what is actually about. A good poet can reach out and get an emotional response from you even if you have no clue what (s)he is talking about. Often poems are not so much vessels of information, but more like an experience. In an older study advice post on how to approach poetry, I wrote that a good poet should be able to make you feel something, whether you fully understand the work or not:

Crush book by richard siken